Brendan Rodgers said Steven Gerrard’s retirement from international football is “great” for Liverpool because his freshness will benefit the team when it comes to the Champions League.

The club are making their first appearance in Europe’s elite competition since 2009-10 and Rodgers believes the 34-year-old’s decision to call a halt to his England career on Monday after a disappointing World Cup is a positive for the club.

He did, however, sympathise with Gerrard, who was captain of the side which was knocked out in the group stages in Brazil after two defeats and a scoreless draw.

Speaking at a press conference before a pre-season friendly against Roma in Boston on Wednesday night, Rodgers said: “First of all I spent a lot of time talking with Steven about the matter. I know how much it means to him to captain his country and there is no doubt he has been a wonderful captain. But you can’t forget that Liverpool means everything to him and missing out on internationals will make him fresher for the Champions League. For us at Liverpool it’s great but it brings to an end what has been a great career for him.”

The striker Loïc Rémy is expected to join Liverpool in the coming days from QPR in a deal believed to be worth £8.5m but, when asked about the imminent transfer, Rodgers refused to speculate. “Until they are signed and agreed to come in I will only talk about them then. I shall not talk about speculation on any player until they have signed.”

Rodgers was more vocal about Luis Suárez. Asked whether he or Liverpool felt let down by the Uruguay striker after they stood by him over the last two years, Rodgers said: “No, not at all. Luis, in my two years at the club, has been sensational. Of course there’s been issues which are well documented but it’s in the past. He was a brilliant player for us. For me I’ll always see him as a good man and a good friend.

“He gave everything to Liverpool and he left Liverpool after his time as a world-class talent. It’s obviously a shame he is not here but Liverpool is a club that is bigger than any individual. He’s a fantastic player but we will move forward and there’s real excitement going into this season.

“We’ve qualified for the Champions League; we went close in the title. I’m really excited by the players we’ve brought in – young players with great profiles who play how we want to play and that will allow us to go on and hopefully continue to progress.”